by Red Haircrow

There are hundreds, and doubtless thousands of Native American sacred items, objects and human remains in Germany. Before and after, but especially during their colonial period (1871-start of WWI) graverobbing, looting and theft by German “scientists” took place around the world, including North America. This past week I participated in Reparation Days 2017, with final event the Conference: Prussian Colonial Heritage, and added their signature to a powerful resolution along with representatives from Japan, Australia, Tanzania, Namibia and others who had been robbed, and which Germany had repeatedly denied and/or minimized reparations for the genocide. Many just know the European Jewish Holocaust, but the 1st genocide took place in Africa, but it gets far less, if any, attention and it is not taught in German schools or any of their colonial crimes.

This is a huge, on-going issue as the Humboldt Forum is now being constructed. It is a multimillion dollar recreation of their emperor’s palace, which will house all of this loot taken, including the bodies of the dead. Finally, the peoples and communities most affected are being denied a voice and place in the decision-making process of recognition and repatriation.

The English version of the resolution and press release is below the German one, and you’ll see the list of speakers and representatives, that included myself and Wanbli Gleska Tohake, my mentor and sponsor in AIM Central Texas, who is Lakota from Rosebud Reservation. The decolonization struggle continues worldwide.

It begins: “We, the undersigned speakers, presenters and participants of the transnational conference “Prussian Colonial Heritage: Sacred Objects and Human Remains in Berlin Museums” on October 14/15, 2017 in the Centre Français de Berlin recognize that communities all over the world have lost a considerable part of their cultural heritage, including even “sensitive materials” – comprising “sacred objects” and “human remains” – by force and fraud in the wake of colonial conquests.” Read the full resolution here at the Berlin Post-Kolonial website.